Ad Harmonium
by CaptainPiika
Summary: In a post-liberated Unova, a young Tepig and Lillipup decide one day they're bored with their shallow, daily lives and set off to find some of the elusive humans they've heard tales about. Little do they know, it's not so wonderful "on the other side"...
1. Dull

_AN: Well, here we are with a little something I've been working on. Enjoy._

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><p>Chapter One.<p>

_-Dull:._

Nack looked straight up. The blue sky stared straight back at him, just as it always did, along with the sun. Some days, there would be clouds covering up the light, but it was okay, because they were allowed to greet people, too. They brought rain, after all, and even if he didn't like it, a lot of others did.

"Nicky?"

He didn't want to tear his eyes away, but he knew if he didn't look at his mother while responding, she'd scold him about manners. He reluctantly lowered his neck and turned his head to the right. "Mm?"

"Why don't you go play with the other children? You're not a grass type, you don't need to sit in the sunshine all day," That was what she thought. Then again, not even grass types seemed to like the sun as much as Nack did. No. He was a Tepig. He liked burning things, apparently.

The Tepig stretched, his tiny hooves digging into the earth. Then, he stood up, shaking his head to clear his brain a little before replying, "Okay."

The Pignite by his side smiled. "Little Callie is waiting for you by the three oaks," Oh, not _the worm_. He hated her. Of course, if he even implied hating anyone he'd get a lecture, so he faked a smile and started to trot over to the three oak trees that had grown side by side about five minutes away.

While he walked, the Tepig kept glancing back towards the sun. To him, it felt like it was the only thing that he could trust. Sure, life in White Forest was rather predictable, with everyone always doing the same tried and true things every day. But at the same time, the sun was the only citizen of the town that did its job without a false sort of happiness attached. It was pure… above them all.

It wasn't long before something, or rather, someone, jumped out from a bush and tackled him. But even that was expected; she always did this. The Tepig responded with a large snort, sending embers flying towards his attacker. She yelped, jumping away.

"Ow! Nack, don't do that!" shouted the Lillipup, licking at a spot on her paw that a flame had hit. He rolled his eyes at her, chuckling.

"Please, Maribel. I'll stop with the fire when you stop hitting me every time I walk by your home," He said, grinning at her. Well, he guessed he could trust Maribel. Maybe because she actually _was_ happy, unlike everyone else. Or maybe because she was the only one who didn't call him "Nicky", his great-grandfather's name, instead of his real one.

She continued licking her paw. "And thus, the cycle goes on," she said, a hint of sarcasm. "So where are you headed? Three oaks?"

Nack nodded, starting to walk again knowing she'd follow him. "My mom wants me to play with the worm," he said, a grimace forming on his face.

"Aw, gross! You think she's going to String Shot you again?" Maribel asked, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

Nack laughed, remembering the last time he was forced to play with Callie the Larvesta. The little worm had tried to battle him, but all she knew was a useless bug move and Ember. Nack had defeated her easily, but not before she spit a wad of sticky string into his face. It took a whole hour to get it all off.

"If she does, I'll squish her," Nack said.

"That's lovely," said Maribel. She pouted. Then, her face lit up. "Hey, I know! Why don't we _accidentally_ get her lost in carnivorous territory, huh? Then you won't be the one who's blamed for her death!"

Nack grinned. "Great idea, Mary. Why don't you shout it out a little louder?" He gestured towards a family of Pidove on a branch above them, all four of them looking highly affronted.

Maribel sighed. "Oh, come on. It's just a joke. I just wish the worm didn't find _us_ so amusing to play with."

He nodded in agreement. "That's for sure. It could have been anyone," He looked at her.

"But it had to be the only two sane Pokémon in all of Unova," they finished together. The two of them laughed. They had discussed the same things so often every day that they had learned to finish each other's sentences; it was one of the only things Nack enjoyed about the monotony.

It was about half a minute before they made it to three oaks. Surely enough, there was a large, fat larvae covered in white fuzz hanging from a branch, singing happily. When Callie spotted the both of them, she squealed in delight, lowering herself to the ground as fast as her body could let her.

"Nicky! And you brought Mary-bell, too!" The two of them cringed at the butchering of their names.

"Right, Callie, what do you want to play?" The sooner they were done, the better. That's what Nack liked to think, anyway.

The Larvesta shook her head (or rather, her body, there was no clear definition between the two) and waved her stubby arms. "I want you to hear something today! Mary-bell will like it too!"

Nack raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, you want me to hear something?" he asked.

Callie started crawling away. "Follow me! Nicky, Mary-bell!"

Nack glanced at Maribel, who shrugged. The two of them followed the worm, their speed incredibly slow due to her inability to crawl at a semi-decent rate. He wondered absent-mindedly how Callie was able to get to the three oaks almost every day without getting eaten. She was such an easy target, after all.

"I know what you're thinking," said Maribel. "I wish a Braviary would just swoop down and catch her. The Basculin family in the lake would probably be grateful, don't you think? It would save them another family member."

"Probably," Nack agreed. He frowned. "I wish I were a Braviary. Then I could eat her and get away from here in no time flat."

Maribel gave him a grim look. "You're still going on about that?"

"Mary! Don't tell me you actually _like_ _it_ here," he whispered, an edge to his voice.

"As if," the Lillipup muttered, looking at him like he was a complete moron. "The only way I'd ever like it here would be—"

Maribel was interrupted as Callie came to a stop, causing her to bump into the Larvesta and trip over her feet. Nack shook his head, scowling up at the sun. He liked Maribel, he really did. As one of the only sane Pokémon in Unova, he had to. But sometimes, she just had to go and give him _that_ look…

"Are these the friends you wanted to hear the stories, little one?" asked a creaky, old voice.

Nack brought his head back to level. In front of him, situated in a small pool of water, was someone who could only be the oldest person in White Forest. She was a Carracosta, an already ancient-looking species, but she was so old she appeared to be too weak to stand. Instead, the Carracosta had her flippers and head on the shore, with the rest of her body floating in the shallow water. She looked at Callie kindly.

"Uh huh! Can you tell me and Nicky and Mary-bell your story again?" the Larvesta asked.

Maribel made a face; Nack hid his. Well, this was great. He was probably going to be subjected to some stupid fairy tale he'd heard a million times before. Exactly why had Callie decided he needed to hear some old turtle babble on?

The Carracosta either ignored their faces or never saw them, as she smiled and adjusted her position on the somewhat-sandy grass. "Of course, little one. Sit down, children." Fantastic, she was one of those people who treated anyone who wasn't an adult like an infant…

"This is a story about the creation of White Forest," the Carracosta began. "It's a true story. I saw it happen with my own eyes when I was just a little girl."

"As little as me?" asked Callie. Ugh, she could be so annoying.

The Carracosta chuckled. "Maybe a little bit bigger. But I'm the only one left in the forest who remembers it," she said.

"Could you get on with it?" asked Maribel, not even bothering to mask the boredom encased in her drawl. Normally, elders scolded her for her behaviour, but this Carracosta was surprisingly not offended at all.

"Well, all right. Years and years ago, White Forest was not the beautiful sanctuary we live in today. No, before all the trees and grass and lakes, there existed a much different time and place."

Callie stared, her attention fixed on the Carracosta. Maribel yawned audibly. Nack merely lay down, his mouth forming a small frown. This was going to take forever, wasn't it?

"You see, long ago, there weren't just Pokémon living on this earth. There were also strange, colourful creatures known as Trainers. They were so strange; no two Trainers looked alike, and they lived in tall, tall gray trees without any branches called 'skyscrapers'."

Nack raised an eyebrow. What was this, a ghost story?

The Carracosta continued. "But that wasn't the strangest thing about them. Trainers never battled, and they didn't know any moves. Yet, if they wanted to, they could catch any kind of Pokémon they wanted."

Maribel snorted. "How can you get eaten by something that doesn't even attack?"

"No, Trainers didn't eat people," the Carracosta replied, shaking her head. "They had circles they threw that sucked you up inside. Then they made you battle other people so they could catch even more."

Somewhat confused, Nack said, "But that doesn't make any sense."

"Hmm?" asked the Carracosta.

"Why would they catch Pokémon but not eat them? There's no point," said Nack. "If you don't do anything with your prey, then it's just a waste of time."

"Oh, well, Trainers liked catching Pokémon because they thought it was fun. Sometimes, they found other Trainers too, and made their captured Pokémon battle with each other. It was like a game," the Carracosta explained.

The Tepig frowned. "I don't see the fun in that," he remarked.

Callie spat a Sting Shot at him. "That's 'cause you're not a Trainer, Nicky!"

Nack grimaced as he poked at the gooey string on his nose. "Okay, sorry." He snorted out a few flames to help burn the sticky substance away.

"Anyway," said the Carracosta, "back when I was a little girl, there was a Trainer named Harmonia who decided that capturing Pokémon was wrong. The Trainer and its friends told all the other Trainers to release everybody. But a lot of them didn't listen, so the Trainer went to see Zekrom."

"The legendary dragon!" exclaimed Callie.

Maribel shook her head. "Zekrom doesn't exist," she said.

Callie whipped around. "You're wrong, Mary-bell! My mama said it's true!"

"Who cares if Zekrom is real or not?" Nack muttered. "Can we just finish the story so I can go home?"

The Carracosta nodded, her expression suddenly more pensive. "I can assure you, little ones. Zekrom is very real. The Trainer asked Zekrom to help it free all the Pokémon, and Zekrom agreed. Together, they created their ideals, and the world was then split into two parts; we live on one side, and the Trainers live on the other. That's how White Forest was created."

Nack waited for a moment. That… that couldn't be it. To spend all that time building up to something cool or whatever, and ending with a simple, "this happened, the end"? What kind of story was this supposed to be?

"What about Reshiram?" Maribel asked, her voice sharp.

"Hmm?" said the Carracosta. "I never mentioned Reshiram."

Maribel frowned. "You can't mention Zekrom without mentioning Reshiram, they're, like, inseparable!" she said. "I mean, it's not like they're real or anything, but I've never heard a story with just one of them, ever."

Nack blinked. Come to think of it… she was absolutely right. To hear Zekrom's name and not Reshiram's was very strange. There had to be more to the story, more that the Carracosta wasn't telling them. Well… if it really was real, like she claimed, and not some crazy thing she'd made up in her head.

The Carracosta frowned. "But I don't remember seeing Reshiram. The only legendary dragon I saw was a deep, deep black colour," she said thoughtfully. After a moment, she smiled. "I hope you enjoyed that, little ones. Goodbye!" And she slipped under the water.

* * *

><p>"So, what are we waiting for?" asked Maribel.<p>

"Huh?" said Nack.

The Lillipup shook her head. "Come _on_, Nack! We've gotta go looking for it! We can't just wait for evidence to show up under our noses!"

Oh, that.

After hearing the strange story and managing to ditch Callie somewhere on the way home, Maribel had decided That while Zekrom wasn't real, Trainers had to be. Her logic was that it just didn't make any sense for the Carracosta to think up a weird story and trick some kids with it, and she probably was remembering something from when she was a little girl, just skewed in some way. All the while, Nack found himself reluctantly agreeing with her.

There was just as much proof against the tale's legitimacy as there was for it. And, knowing nothing about Trainers aside from what he had just been told, Nack couldn't make any theories from that, either. So when Maribel suggested to go searching for clues about "the other side", as she called it, he had to admit he was very, very curious.

He gave his friend a weary smile and sighed. "Mary, where would we even start looking? All we've got going for this is the words of a messed up old turtle," Nack replied.

Maribel smirked and pawed the ground. "Easy! We'll go to the edge of the forest. The other side has to connect to ours somewhere, right?"

"White Forest isn't the only place ever, Mary," said Nack. "Besides, we're small and weak and fresh food for all the carnivores out there. You know that."

"Yeah, but…" she trailed off. "Look, Nack. You want to get out of here, don't you? So let's go. If we find the other side…"

"Then we'll be caught by Trainers?" he finished.

"No! We… we'll… Nack, please. Will you just go with me to the edge tomorrow? If we don't find anything, I'll drop this. I promise." Maribel's dark eyes were intent. When she stared him down, he could never refuse.

He sighed. "Fine. We'll go."

Maribel barked happily. "Awesome! See you tomorrow, then!" She gave him a grin and ran off.

He just hoped he knew what he was doing.

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><p><em>I apologize to everyone for the whiny little Larvesta that is Callie. So, so much.<em>


	2. Night

_AN: Well. Updates concerning this appear to be very, very slow. Hopefully that won't remain so. Enjoy the next chapter!_

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><p>Chapter Two.<p>

_-Night:._

"See anything yet?"

"Trees. Rocks. More trees. Honestly, Maribel, I'll be surprised if there's a single Pokémon living all the way out here. Maybe we should just go home."

It was hard to feel motivated, it really was. Nack and Maribel had been searching all day every day for a week on the outskirts of the forest, and so far, there had been nothing. Nack supposed that they had to be patient, and that expecting immediate results would be naïve, but Mary didn't agree with him at all.

She had been obsessively sniffing at the ground wherever she went, in hopes of tracking an abnormal scent. So far, she'd found a hidden Venipede nest, which resulted in her getting poisoned and having to take a day off the search. Nonetheless, Maribel was getting very, very impatient.

"We can't go home," said Maribel. "We still have about three hours of daylight left."

"Mary…" Nack pleaded.

The Lillipup growled. "No! I know there's something out there! I can feel it, Nack, I swear!"

Nack sighed. There was just no stopping Maribel when she was fixated on something even when she promised to quit it. Determined wasn't a strong enough word to describe her. And now, he was starting to wonder if this search would ever end…

Maribel roughly paced around, sniffing as much as she could. If she were any more aggressive, she'd probably be inhaling dirt. Nack gingerly followed behind her, his face in a frown. Oh boy.

Abruptly, Maribel stopped in her tracks and snapped her head up. Turning to Nack, she said, "Hey, smell right here."

Nack rolled his eyes. His nose was just as effective as Maribel's was, if not better, and nothing was catching his attention. Despite his reluctance, he gently lowered his face to the ground, taking in the scent. At first, he was merely met with the regular smell of the earthy soil and other normal things, but after a few seconds, he noticed something rather faint.

"Is that… blood, or something?" he asked.

"Maybe…" said Maribel.

"So…" mumbled Nack.

Maribel gestured in front of her. "Let's follow it."

Of course. "All right… but don't blame me if something bad happens."

He really didn't like this. Maribel had a rather fearless nature that motivated her to discover the unknown. She was probably the bravest Pokémon he knew. On the other hand, Nack himself was more reserved. When he smelled blood, he would get out of there as fast as he could, lest he be eaten by something. The smell was really faint though… It was possible that the attacker had moved on. In truth, that was the only reason he was currently following behind his friend.

Maribel, her nose still shoved into the ground, said, "Have you ever smelled this kind of blood before?" Her voice was muffled.

"No," Nack said. "But I don't usually go around smelling people's blood, Mary."

She snorted. "What I meant was, can you tell what kind of Pokémon this blood came from?" She gave him a quick, curious glance before stuffing her face into the earth again.

"It doesn't smell like anyone I've met," Nack noted, watching his feet. The soil was moist here, enough for his hooves to leave a trail. "Maybe there are footprints closer to the source?"

Maribel laughed in delight. "Ah! Nack, that's genius! I'll keep sniffing, and you look for prints, okay?"

Nack nodded, keeping his gaze downward. He had to admit; he thought they were doing a pretty good job today. They had a lead (for once) and Maribel was excited, which meant their efficiency was increased from normal. Yes, today would be the day they'd actually make some progress.

…Maybe.

Nack yawned. Two hours later, and they were still trying to follow the blood trail and find footprints. He was getting anxious; they should have turned back ages ago. Now, it was unlikely that they'd get home before dark. Seeing as most carnivores hunted at night, it was worrying him that this night would be his last night alive.

"Mary?" he asked, his voice weary. "Let's go, please."

She shook her head. "Nack, I swear, we are two minutes from finding something. Just a little longer, okay?"

Nack groaned. "You said that a long time ago," Just like his mother had said, Maribel would be the death of him…

"I know I did! But have you smelled the air lately? Go on, smell it!" Maribel said, her eyes stern as she looked up.

He had been trying to ignore the increasingly vile odour, but Maribel's prodding had reflexively caused him to take in a deep breath instead. "Ugh…"

"Exactly. Somebody's hurt pretty badly. It would be irresponsible of us to leave now," the Lillipup assured him, her stance firm. There was just no arguing with Maribel.

"But what if they're dead already?" asked Nack, frowning. He really didn't want to find a dead person.

"Don't say that!" scolded Maribel. She sniffed, turned a bit to the left, and kept going. Nack sighed and continued to follow.

They rounded a tree and stopped dead in their tracks. There, right in front of them, was a strange creature, one of its appendages covered in blood. Growing from its head was a mass of hair roughly the same colour as Nack's body. It was crying, its face stained with tears as it wailed. It was a rather pitiful sight.

Maribel took a step backwards. "What kind of Pokémon is that?" she whispered.

"I have no idea," Nack replied quietly. He sniffed the air again, trying to ignore the smell of the red liquid. "I think it's a girl… about our age, Mary."

"Meat eater?" she asked.

"I don't think so."

They watched the female creature cry some more. Whatever it was, it seemed to be harmless. At the very least, it probably couldn't hurt them in the state it was in. Nack turned to Maribel. The Lillipup nodded.

Together, the two of them took slow, hesitant steps towards the creature. It was crying so much that it didn't even notice them at first. Finally, as they were about a foot away, the creature opened one bleary eye and choked, watching them back. It looked terrified.

"W-what are you?" the creature asked, drawing its body in protectively. It didn't take its eyes off of them.

Maribel tilted her head. "My name is Maribel, and I'm a Lillipup," she answered. She glanced at Nack.

"Um… I'm Nack, a Tepig," he said. He blinked in confusion. The way the creature had just spoken was very strange. It was still their language, but at the same time, it was made up of all sorts of different sounds. This creature probably attacked with sound moves, or something like that.

The creature sniffed, staring at them apprehensively. "You… you can't talk…"

Well, that was odd. Had he and Maribel not just spoken to her then? Maybe this creature had trouble hearing.

"I'M MARIBEL!" shouted Mary. She seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

The creature winced and recoiled, turning away and starting to cry again. "Ahh! Don't hurt me, please!" it whined.

Nack turned to Maribel. "Hey, don't scare it."

"I'm just trying to get it to understand me! What else am I supposed to do?" the Lillipup huffed, scowling at him.

The creature whimpered, looking at them again. "Are you going to hurt me…?" it asked quietly.

Maribel looked like she was going to if the thing couldn't hear her again, so Nack quickly shook his head. Thankfully, it seemed to understand his answer, smiling at him in relief.

"Good," it said, relaxing a bit. It smiled painfully. "My name is Elly. And you… You must be Pokémon!"

This surprised Maribel. "You mean, you're not a Pokémon?" She whipped her head around to Nack. "Nack! Do you think this thing's a Trainer?"

Nack's eyes widened. That would explain its strange speech patterns and appearance. He looked at Elly, considering it. "It's possible."

Elly smiled, continuing. "Oh, I'm so glad! I must be the luckiest girl in the world! None of my friends have ever seen a Pokémon, ever, and I found two!"

"You hardly found us," Maribel muttered, but the Trainer didn't hear her.

"Oh… but," Elly said, "I don't know how I'm going to find my way back home, with my leg like this." Nack looked at her leg, which had a deep gash in it, the source of the blood.

"You could get an Audino to patch you up," Maribel suggested. Nack nodded in agreement.

Elly frowned. "Huh? I wish I knew what you were saying…" she mumbled.

Nack narrowed his eyes. "Mary… something's wrong here. She can hear us, and she's speaking our language, but…"

"She can't understand a word we're saying, can she?"

The Trainer tilted her head. Yep, there was no doubt about it. Something was definitely weird.

Mary sighed in exasperation. "Okay, listen up. An _Audino_," She wiggled her ears (smart, Audino's ears were their most well known feature), "will help _you_," she pointed her nose at Elly, "fix up _that_," she waved a paw over Elly's bleeding leg.

Elly stared at her for a minute. "Ah… you're going to help me with my leg?"

Maribel nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"Oh, thank you so much!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "You're really nice, you know? I'm gonna call you Lilly!"

Maribel's jaw dropped a little. "What?"

"You like it?" she asked. Elly turned to Nack. "And you… you're Piggy! Okay?"

No, Nack was definitely not okay. "Piggy" was probably the worst thing anyone had ever called him… even worse than "Nicky".

"This thing is completely crazy," said Maribel, her voice deadpan. Nack silently agreed. The Lillipup sighed, pivoting around, and started to head off back they way they'd come. "Come on, _Elly_, let's get you back to some civilization, all right?"

The two of them took a couple of steps, waiting for Elly to start following. The Trainer stared after them for a few seconds before getting the idea, and tentatively stood up. Her leg threatened to give out, so she quickly took hold of the tree she'd been leaning on, steadying herself. Boy, this was going to be a long, long walk.

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><p>Though the darkness that settled in sometime during their walk wasn't helpful, Nack and his two companions had managed to get back into the main segment of White Forest without too much trouble. Maribel had to fight off a couple of weak Purrloin who had fooled themselves into thinking they could take her, but other than them nobody had bothered the group at all. It was weird; Nack thought the smell of Elly's blood (which was really quite strong, especially now that they were walking together) would lure somebody hungry, but he guessed they just got lucky.<p>

Now, their main problem was finding an Audino up at this hour that would be kind enough to help Elly, as well as a place for the Trainer to sleep for the night.

Disgruntled, Maribel lead the two of them to her dwelling, a small burrow she shared with her three siblings and parents. Before she went in, she turned to Nack, frowning.

"Well, this is the end of the line. For me, anyway. Nack, you're gonna have to find someplace for her to stay, okay?"

Nack frowned back at her. "Huh? You know she can't stay with me, I have enough problems letting you stay over!"

The Lillipup looked over her shoulder. "My parents wouldn't be too thrilled either… besides, do you really think she can fit in the burrow?"

Nack groaned. Maribel was right, the large Stoutland that was her father didn't approve of the various other things Mary had brought home with her over the years, like her collections of weird rocks and stuff, and those things were inanimate. Bringing home a Trainer would be a bit much. Yet, if Nack's father saw Elly… he shuddered to think what would happen.

Elly frowned at the two of them. "Hey, is there something wrong?" she asked. Completely clueless, as usual. Nack wondered if she'd been hit by a weird move that ruined her hearing or something.

Maribel began to descend into her burrow. "I'm really sorry, Nack, but I can't let her stay. I know you can't either, but maybe you can find an Audino and they'll let her stay there? I think that's the best thing to do at this point."

"Fine," Nack said, "but you owe me, Mary. Got that?"

She smirked. "I'll pay you back someday."

He grinned and watched her delve deeper into the tunnel before she disappeared. His glance didn't linger as he turned to Elly. "So."

Elly stared at him.

Nack looked at her in pity. "Uh… how about we try looking for an Audino over this way, okay?" He was treating her kind of like a baby, he noticed, but he didn't know what else he could do. She could barely understand him, and even then…

He started walking again, making sure Elly was following close behind. He was getting really nervous; the darkness easily hid anyone who wanted to go hunting, and he'd never been up this late before. Adding to that, he didn't really know where any Audino lived. Sure, he had seen some around and stuff, but he had no idea where they made their homes.

Elly herself was getting quite weak. She had most definitely lost more blood than what was healthy, and with walking forever and a day on top of it all, she looked as if she would faint any minute.

Nack stopped, watching her take the moment to lean herself against a tree. There was no way she'd be able to keep going any longer. He sighed, conceding defeat, and nudged her foot gently.

"I live just over there, okay? Just a bit farther," He hoped that his parents were asleep. Maybe he could hide her behind a bush and they wouldn't notice.

Elly feebly followed him the last few minutes before falling over right in front of the tiny clearing Nack called home. He frowned grimly, attempting to nudge her somewhere that didn't leave her open to predators. She smiled faintly, patting him on the head when he'd finished.

"Thanks Piggy…" she whispered before falling asleep. Nack sighed.

Maribel owed him _a lot_.


End file.
